Jan 14, 2018

After a few “not sure what to think of” posts on Instagram, Sly has now posted a rather firmer confirmation that EX4 is back on track by teasing the return of Barney. Something must be cooking for Sly to hype EX4 in such a fashion. His Christmas picture with Avi and now his series of posts on Instagram insinuating the return of the Expendables team doesn’t seem to be a coincidence any longer or some sort of a wishful thinking on the action icon’s part. It looks like it’s finally happening or at least there is intent of making it happen again. It’d better be, they’ve been teasing it for over 2 years!!

Jan 6, 2018

I don't even feel like updating the blog anymore as I've come to believe that this project is dead for good. But again now and then there's a glimpse of hope that things might be back on track. This was the case last week with first a picture of Sly & Avi appearing together in a Christmas family reunion maybe telling us that they are at least somehow friends again? Or talking some serious EX4 deal? And then Sly for the one millionth time posted a couple of teasers on his Instagram saying that he was getting back into action shape despite being old, and that old school action was coming back. Go figure.

Maybe it doesn't mean anything as always but like I said, there is maybe a glimpse of hope...

Aug 10, 2017

After a long silence since Avi's announcement of Sly's exit from the EX4 movie, over a week ago, a number of hints were thrown at fans by Sly on his Instagram page, implying his return to the project.

First an ambiguous hint that the Expendables were about to get " ... Very Dark" .... Again... and then a week later he posted a childhood picture of himself, Arnold, Willis and Van Damme, promising that "the boys were back in town! " all together!".

Fans who have known Sly over the years know best how famous he is for teasing upcoming projects that often don't realize.

A couple of days ago a video appeared online in which Sly confirms that EX4 is "gonna happen". Not sure how old and real this video is but if it is, then maybe there is hope for the project to be truly back on track with its originals cast members. At this point after so many controversies and cancellations over the 2 years since it was first announced, it's hard to trust anything until production kicks off...but stay tuned, you never know.

May 19, 2017

It's finally confirmed by Avi himself - EX4 will be moving ahead without Sly, it's official, Sly is out of the EX franchise. Here's what Avi had to say:

THR: Sylvester Stallone said there will be no more Expendables with him.

Avi: Well, that's what he said last time.

THR: You think there might be another?

Avi: Not with Sylvester. There will be more Expendables, but not
with him. Sly wanted to produce the movie, and I don't think he can
produce the movie. He's a good actor. He's a good writer. But he's not a
good producer. And I didn't want to give him $100 million to produce.

THR: Are you still friends with him?

Avi: Obviously less. But I respect him. I think he's one of the icons of
the world. You know, without being too mean, I took him when he was
down, when nobody wanted to hire him, and I gave him Rambo and The Expendables. I think I gave him a new life.

THR: So you're not doing Expendables 4?

Avi: We will do Expendables 4, without Sylvester Stallone. We've got a script. We're working on it. Look, Batman, they changed the guys. Spider-Man. You name it.

THR: What's the biggest-budget movie you've made?

Avi: Expendables 3 was $80 million.

THR: What's the most you've paid an actor?

Avi: Twenty million. Sylvester Stallone. We were going to pay him that for Expendables 4.

THR: What's next?

Avi: We are going to do Hellboy [and] Expendables 4 next year. We're doing Expendabelles. It will be 10 big female names. We're doing Angel Is Fallen, we're shooting a movie called #211 with Nicolas Cage, and we just finished a movie called Stoic with Antonio Banderas.

So that's it...it's kind of sad. I can't imagine the EX franchise without Sly but I'm willing to give it a chance if they make it a quality production keeping the original concept, no young Expendables please.

Personally I think it will not draw the same amount of crowd without Sly and Arnold (who said would be totally out without Sly), but who knows, he might accept to return if Avi gives him the lead role and more money. Now anything could happen, Avi seems to be determined to get the 4th installment going.

The other point where I believe Avi is overly optimistic about is when he compares the EX franchise with Batman or Spider-Man. It's an interesting and disconnected perspective that he carries. I believe there was some comparison when they were promoting EX3 to the Avengers as well!! People go see Batman for Batman not so much for the guy behind the mask, same for Spider-Man or any comic book superhero, that's why you can keep recycling the actors. The concept and context remain the same no matter who plays the character (of course people have preferences, Bale over Kilmer, or Keaton over Clooney, etc.) but they still go see Batman. The EX franchise is based off a unique concept of assembling old time action icons i.e. Sly, Arnold, Willis and Co. You can't replace them by new actors, people go see the Expendables for the men behind the action not so much the characters in the movie. You can't replace Sly or Arnold...

That being said, if Avi remains authentic to the original concept and is able to keep Statham on board, give Arnold more money and one of the lead roles, bring Willis back, make peace with Seagal, add other action Stars such as Jaa, Yen, Chan (unlikely as he's already doing a project with Sly and has never been a big fan of cameos, unless he also gets a lead role with some hefty money), bring Van Damme back in some new capacity, get Russell (he's taking any ensemble role nowadays) or even add some newer action guys such as Johnson (unlikely to happen but Avi has the money now since Sly's $20M is up for grab and money talks in Hollywood) or Diesel (he might actually do it for $20M); then we might be going somewhere here...knowing Avi's track record, what I'm wishing for here is probably optimistic on my part!

May 18, 2017

A glimpse of news. A poster of EX4 has been identified as what seems to be a promotional item for Cannes. It looks to be legitimate but the question is how realistic is it for Avi & Co. to sell EX4 to distributors at Cannes knowing that Sly has declined to take part (so far) as there hasn't been any news of the contrary.

The other interesting point is the cast. Only Sly, Statham & Banderas appear on the poster whereas in the past Li was always promoted even when there was no definite negotiation for his participation. It looks thin and I wonder whether we'll have EX4 at all and if yes will any of the heavyweight action stars be in it?

Apr 22, 2017

There has never been a better time to make an EX movie. If Avi has some good business sense he will put his ego and differences with Sly aside and work things out to get EX4 going. This is probably his best window of opportunity to leverage the star power momentum building up around some of the main cast members of the franchise - namely Statham, Sly and Lundgren.

Statham has seen his star power propulsed thanks to the mega success of the 8th FF, and a spin off movie focusing on his character (and Johnson's) is being widely talked about. He is now a well recognized star worldwide and should enjoy that status over the next few years with the FF franchise.

Sly is set to appear in the upcoming GOTG2 a guaranteed blockbuster. He should be getting a fair amount of publicity over the next while and his star power could keep going up. He's being talked about to play a major role in the upcoming instalment and maybe even in the Avengers series. He has once again risen from the ashes.

Lundgren was recently confirmed to appear in the next DC Aquaman and has received a lot of attention. It is still to be seen whether his momentum will be sustainable over time but for now and until Aquaman is released he should enjoy some comeback.

Now you have 3 EX actors attracting a new fan base from the FF, Marvel and DC universes - put them together in a movie and you could bank on a fairly strong amount of interest and publicity if timing is right, which should be now or it might just be too late.

So Avi what are you waiting for? This is the time, the franchise has never had so many of its cast members enjoy this much publicity and attention at the same time. Don't waste the opportunity.

Apr 17, 2017

Something's cooking up. I wonder why EX's FB keeps posting these new artworks of the EX characters? Started with Barney and it's Lee's turn now! Like I said I like them, just hope it means they are refreshing fan's memories to prep them for the upcoming installment.

Apr 14, 2017

While contradictory news & rumors about a fourth installment of the The Expendables keep frustrating fans, the franchise's official FB page keeps posting new artworks teasing the same fans I imagine. Not sure what to think of it but here I found the newest artwork posted on the website and it's kinda nice...I just hope we get an official announcement soon, totally getting pissed and impatient.

Apr 8, 2017

It looks like Sly is not completely closing the door to Avi. Asked by TMZ if he was open to doing EX4, he quickly replied "Absolutely". And further added that some bumps have to be taken out of the road.

TMZ further claims that they got some other actors from the "Expendables" franchise earlier this week -- including Wesley Snipes and Dolph Lundgren, both of whom said they wouldn't do 4 without Sly.

Avi, you heard the man, take those bumps out and bring the movie back to life.

Apr 5, 2017

Looks like Arnold thinks like many of us fans out there and won't be doing EX4 without Sly.

He told EW that he will not appear in The Expendables 4 without Sylvester Stallone, who has reportedly departed from the action sequel. “There is no Expendables without Sly,” says the Terminator star. “I would never do the movie without him, no.”

Arnold is out so is probably Statham who received kudos from Sly on his Instagram account for being a standup guy and having Sly's back, so we can safely assume that he'd be out too if Sly was.

Here we have it, EX4 seems to be going back to either being a dead project again or becoming a DTV franchise...RIP.

Mar 31, 2017

As per Deadline: "In a crushing blow to fans of The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone
has washed his hands of the franchise. He has withdrawn from taking
part in the fourth installment, even though, sources said, it would have
meant the biggest upfront payday in his career at north of $20 million.
The reason? He and Nu Image/Millennium chief Avi Lerner
could not find common ground on a new director, on the script and on
certain qualitative elements of the film. That went right down to the
selection of the CGI house to handle visual effects. The franchise has
used Lerner’s own VFX house, Nu Boyana in Bulgaria.

Sources said that Stallone — who set a high bar for himself reprising
Rocky Balboa with Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Coogler in Creed —
was concerned about potentially underwhelming results of another
franchise with which he is indelibly linked. Stallone wrote the first
script with Dave Callaham, co-wrote all the sequels, and directed the
first film. But knowledgeable sources said that Expendables team leader
Barney Ross has led his last mission.

One who knows the dynamic of the long Stallone-Lerner relationship
suggested they often disagree and eventually work it out over a couple
of cigars, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen this time.
Lerner acknowledged the differences he has had with Stallone, but wasn’t
willing to concede a divorce just yet. “We’ve got disagreements with
Sly, but we’ve had them for over a year and a half,” he told Deadline.
“Right now, each one has opinion. We agreed on 95% of things, but there
are certain things in production we don’t agree on. I don’t think it’s
over, but what write whatever you want. In my opinion, it’s not dead.”

It is unclear how Stallone’s exit impacts the film or its beefcake
action hero cast.."

Well, if this is the case the franchise is done in my opinion and will turn into a DTV cash cow. I for sure am done with it if Sly is not part of this.

Dec 30, 2016

Sly has confirmed on his Instagram account that he's preparing for EX4 and since everyone has been asking for something different he's gonna give it to them. Here we go, EX4 is finally coming probably sooner than later...

Dec 23, 2016

Splendid Film who has secured the distribution of EX4 in the German-speaking European market, has confirmed that the fourth installment of the franchise will be released in 2018 with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Dolph Lundgren. They also expect more stars to join the party as usual.

After so many rumors and half-ass news we could take this announcement as a solid possibility of EX4 to finally moving forward.

Nov 23, 2016

Asked by Tulsa World about the status of “The Expendables 4,” Couture said they’re waiting on a script. He saw Stallone at the gym a couple of weeks ago and Stallone talked about how he wants to take the next installment in a different direction.

So the project is not dead and well in the works with Sly still planning to not only participate but in the driver's seat!

Oct 14, 2016

It looks like Seagal wants to be in the EX franchise at last. To a fan's tweet suggesting whether he'd be in "Expendables 4 ? vILLian ? need a bad~ass to take 'em down", Seagal responded that he "would be willing to chat with @TheSlyStallone He knows I [Seagal] appreciate his project."

Well it is a very encouraging statement since Seagal was not really interested in the past due to his fallout with Lerner (rumor has it). I for one am super excited if this happens, I always felt the franchise missed him big time along with Jackie Chan, and if EX4 can pull if off to have those guys finally in it, it'd be complete and can close off on a high note (well given that the baby Expendables are not in it anymore and it's rated a solid R).

The only concern now is whether EX4 will ever happen...if it does will Sly be in it?

Sep 24, 2016

There has been a slight sign of revival of EX4 through Seagal's tweeter page. He first responded to a fan's tweet that EX4 "is being discussed". Then he has been retweeting posts from this unofficial EX4 page. He followed a few hours ago by tweeting that "The Expendables is a great franchise".

There seems to be some EX4 discussions going on with the man. That's all we have for now, still not sure if the 4th installment is going to happen...

May 28, 2016

It's been very difficult to report any news on EX4 since there hasn't been any! There is no sign whatsoever of whether the project has been put on hold (or even dead) or secretly in the works. Even Lundgren, who was recently interviewed by HEYUGUYS on his new movie KC2, doesn't seem to know much about the future of EX4. Here's what he had to say:

HUG: There’s been some speculation about an Expendables 4 – is it
something that you are keen to revisit at all and has Sly spoken to you
about it at all?

DL: I haven’t talked to him about it, I kind of leave it up to him. Yeah,
if it comes about it would probably be next summer. Usually those films
are shot in the fall so it may be next year. I know he was side tracked
a little because of the success of Creed, and of course the fact he was
nominated for an Academy Award and all of that. He should have won, by
the way! I think if it comes back, I’d give it another shot. It would be
fun.

HUG: Who would you personally want to work with on Expendables 4 if it happens?

DL: Well, obviously there are icons like Clint Eastwood so that would be
wonderful. There are other guys like Kurt Russell and Jackie Chan as
well. I am trying to think of action people that haven’t been in
it! Jackie Chan for sure, he’d be really cool.

Mar 12, 2016

There hasn't been any reliable news on the development of EX4 since the movie was semi-officially announced for a release in 2017, raising doubts in the viability of the fourth installment. The doubts were further reinforced when Stallone himself made a statement that an EX4 would be "Stallone-less" if it was to move ahead. Plus he seems to be involved in the Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and actively searching for dramatic roles, distancing himself from action movies. That being said, not winning his Oscar might have changed things.

Now 2 more or less reliable pieces of news have surfaced over the past few days giving some more life to the viability of an eventual EX4.

Randy Couture has confirmed to The Arnold Fans that filming on The Expendables 4 will get underway in the fall.

Yibada is reporting that Li Bingbing will appear in the sequel and according to the American based Chinese outlet, after the delays because of the script changes, the movie will finally start filming in May! The outlet further reports that while in Australia, Li said she got sick out of worrying she might not be able to do "The Expendables 4" because of a barrier.

Not sure how reliable all of this is, but if true more news should surface soon.

Nov 19, 2015

Back in May Stallone exchanged a couple of tweets with the Indian actor Salman Khan, and alluded to maybe having him in EX4; probably as a courtesy response to Khan's earlier tweets complimenting Sly.

Some media outlets and fans took the twitter exchange and blew it out of proportions by making the assumption that Khan would appear in the 4th installment of the franchise.

Well after the Hogan rumor was squashed here's another one ending up with the same fate. In an event in India as reported by this Indian news outlet, Khan stated clearly that he had no intentions of taking part in any Hollywood production that he would only continue to make Indian movies.

Oct 17, 2015

There have been many rumors around Hulk Hogan taking on the role of the main villain in EX4.

Well Hogan who himself is sometimes the source of those rumors, has confirmed in an interview with The Star that "I [Hogan] haven't talked to him [Sly]. But there's a bunch of people who have
thrown my name around and done stuff. I'd love to read the script. I
don't know how many more Expendables they're going to make, so I'd love
to be in the next one. I'd love to be the bad guy again in a Stallone movie. It would be a lot of fun."

Oct 14, 2015

Update: it appears that Johannes Hartmann was working on the set of Boyka 4 and not EX 4, he might have confused the 2 movies when tagging his pictures. I apologize, I should have paid closer attention to the photos, I took Johannes's post for granted. Thanks to "Jeff" for bringing it to my attention in the comment section.

Although EX4 seems to have received some serious Chinese investment support and there is a likelihood of a partial production in China, several clues still point to the direction of Bulgaria.

Back in September this year the CEO of NU Boyana (that is the Studio where the first 3 movies were shot) told Xinhua that The Expendables 4 would probably be made mid-2016 in his Studios.

Also a certain Johannes Hartmann posted pictures of the set construction for The Expendables 4 at Nu Boyana Studios four months ago. Looks like work on EX4 has been in motion for a while now and well under the radar.

The majority of fans will certainly be disappointed if this was to happen, but the business reality is that Bulgaria is a cheap place to get movies done, and Lerner & Co. who are co-owners in the Bulgarian Studios will probably want to rip the benefits of that cheap fact.

Oct 10, 2015

Despite a very weak performance from all aspects (BO, quality, PG-13 rating, script, cast, editing, etc.) of its 3rd installment, the Expendables franchise is moving ahead with a 4th movie. Building on the franchise's strong market demand in China, Avi Lerner et al. were able to secure a deal with Steven Paul’s SP International Pictures on behalf of SSXH Beijing and Max Screen Film Distribution.

Expendables 4 will shoot in 2016 and be released in 2017. Neither
director nor cast have yet been announced, though the picture is
expected to maintain its all-action star formula. It is to be
produced on a budget of over $100 million!

I'm absorbing this news with mixed feelings. Although the kid inside me gets always excited by the prospect of a new movie assembling my childhood heroes, the thought of seeing another fiasco is almost agonizing. Let's hope for the best.

Aug 19, 2014

I had to come out of retirement for one last post to review EX3 and put my opinion out there. Not that it matters but I felt I had to express my frustration over this 3rd useless installment to vent a little bit...

Where do I begin? EX3 is so bad and in so many areas that it's hard to write a condensed review. But let's try to compartmentalize.

Stallone: I know most people - except for his hardcore fan base on StalloneZone - have been calling him a sellout, a greedy ego driven arrogant @$$hole, etc and you know what, I understand their feelings. Real, true fans of the hardcore action films of the 80s who paid and supported him with the EX franchise to allow him to make yet another come back, felt betrayed by the fact he let them down to pay his due to the new generation. I'd never know what was it that he owed to this new generation...

I'm not naive to think that all decisions around EX3 were made by Stallone and probably most of them were not. Lionsgate that is the major distributor of the movie is a public company that has to respond to shareholders and they're not gonna let Stallone decide of their fortune. But Stallone had enough weight to influence some important decisions and he possibly didn't use it that much caught in his madness to please the new generation and stay relevant in the 21st century. And I'm saying that based on past history of the actor who keeps repeating the same career mistake due to an ego the size of a dinosaur. There's no doubt that Stallone is a life fighter and rises from the ashes, and he's done it more than once, but his demise is to let his perspective and senses be blinded by his ego and complacency once he gets to the top. He did it after his first series of success with Rocky & Rambo, then again after he was able to come back with Cliffhanger & Demolition Man, and here we go again after he built a new franchise with the Expendables. Unfortunately he might be too old for another comeback, who knows. I hope this EX3 debacle will bring his senses back so he makes his (probably last) Rambo with passion fed by those values that made him one of the legends of the action movies. An EX4 is not needed if he's not allowed or able to bring it back to its essence and what it was meant to be.

PG-13: a lot has already been said about this fatal mistake. Although some people are still trying to blame the fall of this movie on piracy - and yes the mysterious leak of the movie probably hurt the BO numbers, researchers say at best by 20%, which would have given the movie an opening of about $20M, which is still a mediocre result given the magnitude of expectations, expenses and pedigree of cast members - the real reasons are franchise fatigue, terrible quality, bad reviews, and most importantly alienation of true fans. Unfortunately history repeats itself and studios either don't learn or don't care to learn from past mistakes. Some say LG was trying to seize the opportunity of a missed summer opening by the FF franchise to bank on their audience, wrong gamble. Some say Stallone/Lerner wanted to attract a broader audience and make more money, go figure. Whatever the reason behind the PG decision, it was a bad one and the movie paid for it, from both marketing and quality perspectives. If anyone decides to make an EX4 please learn from this, but I won't be surprised if they don't.

The Movie: poor editing, average CGI, bad acting, crap story. The use of Li and Schwarzenneger in the manner it was done was a crime and deserves to be tried at the Hague. Banderas was a joke. One would almost feel that those actors were disrespected in the movie. I'm surprised that Arnold has even accepted to be treated like this and is promoting the movie. The "old" Expendables are in the background. The fight scenes are poor or non existent, the Sly/Mel fight was a shame, worse than Sly/JCVD in EX2. Bad, bad, bad and bad again. WTF?

The New Blood: I'm speechless. What was that all about? Seriously? Lutz is the worst actor probably seen in recent years. Has no presence and charisma, then you let him disrespect our icons? At least in EX2 one could develop some sympathy for Hemsworth. He was respectful towards the older EXs and died quickly to make room for the real heroes. Rousey was ok since she's a fighter and had some ok fight scenes but don't have her talk or walk. The boxer guy, give me a break, what was that? Actually if I had to force myself to like one of them it'd pick the hacker guy, he was ok.

This was Stallone's biggest mistake in his entire career, to write those pathetic characters and then choose a bunch of useless people to play them. Sly, please read this and all the other millions of articles, posts, tweets on the internet, open your eyes, let go of your ego. You should try to stay relevant to your fans who made you not to a bunch of kids who don't know who you are. If by any chance you are given the opportunity to make EX4, kill those guys off in the opening or come up with a story not to show them in the movie anymore. Do your best to get Chan and give him a proper role. Make it a good R like you did your last Rambo. Bring on a few good villains, lobby for the money and give it to The Rock, he wants to play ball. Do the Right Thing!

The fall of a franchise and hardcore action movies a la 80s as witnessed by the Gen X...

May 18, 2014

Stallone officially announced it in Cannes: EX3 is PG-13. I'm skipping this one and already preparing for EX4 hoping that EX3 bombs and they learn their lesson to make EX4 "R". These movies are only supported by hardcore fans, I was hoping that by now it was well understood by the greedy producers...

Jan 11, 2014

During a 90-minute question and answer session with Jonathan Ross at the London Palladium, Stallone also talked a little bit about Expendables 3: he revealed in the third film Jason Statham might finally take a knocking.

"You may see history made in the next Expendables," he said.

"I actually believe there's a bloody nose on the horizon.

"We have a great rapport together.

"You know he doesn't do that very often, he's very straight [in his films], but when he smiles, when he jokes around, he's good."

Big crowds turn out to see Sylvester Stallone in London for a Q&A session with fans AND Jonathan Ross

Back in November 2013 Stallone hinted at eventually retiring from Action Movies and the EX franchise (article here) which raised a lot of questions in the fans minds. Yesterday again he told U.K.
talk show host Graham Norton, "I'm trying to avoid going to the gym. I
ended up doing a lot of action films and you have to be in shape. I
swear I was in the gym so often that if I'd had another daughter I would
have called her Barbella! I figure at a certain age you get clogged
arteries and you drop dead happy."

I'm starting to think he's really serious about quitting the action genre and that his participation in EX4 might be compromised. I for one won't be interested in an EX4 without Stallone...

Jan 7, 2014

To those who do not know this, EX3 was shot with the RED cameras, under DP Peter Menzies Jr. Films such as Transformers 4, The Hobbit, Elysium and The Amazing Spiderman have all been shot using RED.

According to RED.com:

Since its arrival, the RED ONE has established a pedigree of Oscar winning films, 3D features, and even magazine covers that have solidified its reputation as a reliable workhorse. Introduced as the purest digital alternative to 35mm film, the RED ONE has shot some of the most influential films of our time - from “Che” to “The Social Network”. Its ability to sustain brilliant 4K images in even the toughest environments has contributed to its enduring success as one of the greatest digital cinema cameras of all time."

The RED website has this on their page....interesting they use an EX2 promo shot.......

This site is a forum for RED users. A few interesting posts about EX3 I spotted.

Jarred Land posted "Teaser Trailer. Love the franchise or not.. from the footage I have seen from the show it looks incredible. Peter Menzies Jr. did one hell of a job. The first 2 Expendables were shot on Film and we are very proud that Peter chose RED for the 3rd.

Peter Mosiman posted "I gaffed a pickup shot where we shot Terry Crews doing his bit. Cool to see them all put together in a finished product.

(referring to the teaser trailer......so it confirms they were all or mostly shot separately)

This is very cool. EX3 should be the best looking of the 3. Peter Menzies Jr. is a great DP, having shot such films as Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Shooter and The Incredible Hulk. The RED cameras are really gonna make EX3 look epic onscreen.

Jan 5, 2014

In a recent interview Lutz talked about his experience filming The Expendables 3, below is a summary of his interview - you can also read Statham's interview posted here today.

Did you shoot The Legend of Hercules and The Expendables 3 in any of the same locations?

LUTZ: Yeah, it was the same studio. For The Expendables, we also just used old buildings that never were finished, as our blown-out bunkers.

How was that experience? What was it like to go from being the lead of one action movie to working with some real action icons?

LUTZ: It was another dream come true. They were my heroes, growing up. You have Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Sly [Stallone], Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren. We’re all in one helicopter, yelling for Sly to come at us. I was just like, “When will I ever have this opportunity again?!” It really was a dream.

Who are you playing in it?

LUTZ: I play the leader of the young Expendables. Sly comes and recruits me, and I recruit our team. The older guys are just broken and old and busted, so he comes to the younger, more tactical guys to handle the next mission. So, I got to work with Sly quite a bit.

Did you have any scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Harrison Ford?

LUTZ: Yeah. I had scenes with Arnold, Harrison, Mel, Kelsey Grammer and Antonio Banderas. I had scenes with them all. It was quite amazing.

When you work with people like that, is it more nerve-wracking and intimidating, or is it more exciting and bad-ass?

LUTZ: I’m just excited, and I think it’s bad-ass. I don’t really get starstruck. I just get so excited because these are guys I’ve always wanted to work with. I would pretend I was Rambo or Rocky. But for them, it’s always so awkward. You’re an actor with them, and you want a picture with them, but you don’t want to come off like you want a picture with them. But I still asked, and they would take pictures with me. I want to remember those moments. And they give you a lot of good advice. Sly would be like, “Don’t break eye contact. Keep it here. Don’t be discouraged or deflated.” He’d also let us rip, quite a bit. He’d let us improve, and just follow along. He’d say something and we’d be like, “What?!” It was an experience.

How do you think this film will compare to the first two?

LUTZ: I think it will be the best one. The script has so much depth and story to it. It’s a solid script, and then you add all these new faces to it. I can’t wait!

JS: There isone [moment] in particular thatwill be marked in my memory: I was there inthat chopperpiloted byHarrisonFord,surrounded byJetLi,AntonioBanderas,ArnoldSchwarzeneggerwithhis cigarin his mouth,Dolph Lundgren...Ifelt like going downto take a picture, it was justamazing.The director,PatrickHughes,could not believe it himself.He turnedtothe team andaskedevery two seconds: "I'mdreaming,orwhat I'm seeingis actuallyhappening?"

P: You thinkthere was enoughtestosteronein thatchopper?

JS: I still can'tbelieve hemanaged to take off! (Laughter.)If you read French here's the entire interview, you can also use Google translator...

Ok, so he is ambitious! In my humble opinion Seagal should do the following: Agree to star in The Expendables 4 as a bad guy; get the exposure he needs with a mainstream blockbuster film and run for governor if he so pleases.

Arnold did the same thing with a big sequel when he ran for governor after T3 was a massive success.

Seagal really is one of the only few legendary action stars missing from the EXPENDABLES franchise and I personally think EX4 will be the last one in the series. Steven should play a henchman role like Stone Cold did in the first film and he should be working with or for none other than Al Pacino!!!

Imagine how amazing it would be to see Al and Steven as the main bad guys in the next chapter of the Expendables films. Add Jackie Chan as a new expendable (a sacrifice must be made so killing Jet Li in the next film is a must; it would be powerful) and the next film will be...the best one of all to end the series on a high!

Come on Steven and Jackie...join the fold! The fans want and demand it!!!

Dec 29, 2013

UFC women’s bantamweight champion and new Expendable Rousey defended her title against rival Tate, but her win did not come in the first round, and it was no walk in the park.

After a spirited back-and-forth fight, Rousey secured her patented
armbar early in the third round to notch her second win over Tate, whom
she took the Strikeforce belt from in March 2012.

While the champion’s performance was dominant, her behavior after the
fight wasn’t applauded. Rousey refused to shake Tate’s hand in the cage
and was loudly booed by the crowd.

A winded Rousey congratulated Tate for her performance, but added, “Once you insult my family, I can’t shake your hand.”

Although I'm not a big fan of a younger group of Expendables, I have to admit that Rousey is one hell of a fighter and her current UFC champ status is all positive publicity for "The Expendables 3". It is well known that Sly is a marketing genius and has proved it once again with EX3 and its new cast.

Dec 28, 2013

Recently added to the official cast list is Lisbeth Olofsson, playing Gunnar's daughter. According to IMDB, this is her first film as an actress. She has been working as a production secretary in various TV shows before this. Not earth-shattering news, but interesting.

With EX3 in post-production now, many fans are wondering if there will be an EX2 Director's cut, or "Extended cut" released around August, to capitalize on the promotion. As Simon West said in his EX2 commentary, many scenes were cut short, due to the movie being too long. I'm not going to go into that, but it is obvious why certain powers wanted EX2 a certain length. Since Simon West is long gone from the EX franchise now, I'm not sure this will happen.

Jet Li's fight scene, the best in the whole movie, was cut in half. This really bugged me, as Jet only shot a few days. One would think they would want every frame of him onscreen. We also know from behind-the-scenes footage, there was a little more to the Sly-Van Damme fight that wasn't used. Who knows about the Adkins-Statham fight. Probably some of that was trimmed.

Sure, we have the deleted scenes that were included as part of the EX2 Blu-ray, but it would be nice to have everything that was shot in a Director's cut, so we can all see it put together. Several minutes of the airport scene were completely cut out, with Toll Road, Hale Caesar and Maggie all getting their fight scenes removed.

Maybe some of the scenes needed trimming, maybe not, but as fans, we deserve to see every frame shot. Hopefully Lionsgate will realize this and give us what we want. The EX1 Director's cut was superior to the theatrical cut, in a lot of people's opinions. Bring on the EX2 Director's cut!

They say that 3 is a magic number so, naturally, my top pick for 2014
is the ridiculously violent new offering from everybody’s favourite
gang of action oldies, The Expendables 3. I know I could have chosen something more noble such as Camp X-Ray but, the unintentional comedy gold kicked out by The Expendables franchise is like crack. With guns. You just can’t say no.

When the torment of a house with no internet forced me to blow the dust of an, as yet unwatched, copy of the The Expendables
I was pretty pessimistic about the whole affair. Watching Hollywood’s
aging action elite drag themselves out of their La-Z-Boys to stretch
their creaky joints back into ass kicking form just didn’t appeal. Then I
saw Sylvester Stallone‘s unbelievably rubbery face juddering like a Shar Pei on a trampoline behind a machine gun and I had a sudden change of heart.

The Expendables franchise is an enormous reservoir of,
mostly unintentional, testosterone driven comedy. The relentless
slideshow of epic violence that makes the franchise undeniably gripping
also frequently explodes into kitsch hilarity and that is how The Expendables won my cynical, black heart.

The plot synopsis of The Expendables 3 promises that the latest offering will be the best yet as the excerpt below should demonstrate;

Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and
brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals
who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a
clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise

So, essentially The Expendables 3 is about some old guys who
don’t like to mix with all that new fangled technology crap getting
some young pups in to help them set up their internet router or
something. Beautiful. Personally, I hope the old-school style wins
because I want more bomb hurling, double machine gun toting, multiple
throat slitting action rammed right down my neck.

My only concern about the new film is the tragic lack of Jean-Claude Van Damme.
I was really looking forwards to him getting his epic split on whilst
perilously perched on some cruise missiles. Oh well, a girl can dream!

Below are my favourite The Expendables moments to rev your engines.

Stallone’s epic helicopter entrance

Stallone jiggled and wobbled his way to helicopter based glory as he legged it down the pier in The Expendables 1.
While i was genuinely worried he might have a cardiac arrest, my brief
moment of concern was all but erased by the CGI nightmare that was his
leap into the helicopter. 5 out of 5 so-bad-it’s-good points.

And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I found this
treasure of the actual filming. Look at that lacklustre flop onto a
crash mat! You go girl!

Jean-Claude Van Damme’s knife kick

Van Damme is like Michael Flatley
or something, his magical legs just keep on giving. Not only does he
boot a blade straight into this cocky dick’s chest, he also does it with
sunglasses for added cool. My hero!

Terry Crews shows us he’s da bomb!

With the immense power of his muscled muscles, Terry Crews lets out his
inner old spice smoothness and lobs a bomb at a helicopter without even
breaking a sweat.

If all that action has warmed your cockles, The Expendables 3 is hitting cinemas on August the 15th 2014. Who wants to join me? If you supply the popcorn I’ll bring the hip flask.